Toward Solving Complex Human Problems: Techniques for Increasing Our Understanding of What Matters in Doing So

This book serves three basic purposes: (1) a tutorial-type reference for complex systems engineering (CSE) concepts and associated terminology, (2) a recommendation of a proposed methodology showing how the evolving practice of CSE can lead to a more unified theory, and (3) a complex systems (CSs) initiative for organizations to invest some of their resources toward helping to make the world a better place.

A wide variety of technical practitioners-e.g., developers of new or improved systems (particularly systems engineers), program and project managers, associated staff/workers, funders and overseers, government executives, military officers, systems acquisition personnel, contract specialists, owners of large and small businesses, professional society members, and CS researchers-may be interested in further exploring these topics.

Readers will learn more about CS characteristics and behaviors and CSE principles and will therefore be able to focus on techniques that will better serve them in their everyday work environments in dealing with complexity. The fundamental observation is that many systems inherently involve a deeper complexity because stakeholders are engaged in the enterprise. This means that such CSs are more difficult to invent, create, or improve upon because no one can be in total control since people cannot be completely controlled. Therefore, one needs to concentrate on trying to influence progress, then wait a suitable amount of time to see what happens, iterating as necessary. With just three chapters in this book, it seems to make sense to provide a tutorial introduction that readers can peruse only as necessary, considering their background and understanding, then a chapter laying out the suggested artifacts and methodology, followed by a chapter emphasizing worthwhile areas of application.

這本書有三個基本目的：(1)作為複雜系統工程（CSE）概念和相關術語的教學參考，(2)提出一種建議的方法論，展示CSE實踐如何能夠引導出更統一的理論，以及(3)作為一個複雜系統（CSs）的倡議，鼓勵組織投入一些資源，幫助使世界變得更美好。

各種技術從業人員，例如新系統或改進系統的開發者（尤其是系統工程師），項目和計劃經理，相關人員，資金提供者和監督者，政府高級官員，軍官，系統採購人員，合同專家，大型和小型企業的所有者，專業社團成員和複雜系統研究人員，可能對進一步探索這些主題感興趣。

讀者將更多地了解複雜系統的特性和行為，以及複雜系統工程原則，因此能夠專注於在處理複雜性時更好地應用於日常工作環境的技術。基本觀察是，許多系統本質上涉及更深層次的複雜性，因為利益相關者參與其中。這意味著這些複雜系統更難發明、創建或改進，因為沒有人能完全控制，因為人們無法完全被控制。因此，我們需要專注於試圖影響進展，然後等待適當的時間來觀察發展，必要時進行迭代。由於本書只有三章，因此提供一個教學性的介紹，讓讀者根據自己的背景和理解程度選讀，然後是一章闡述建議的產物和方法論，接著是一章強調值得關注的應用領域，這樣似乎是有意義的。

Brian E. White earned an MS and a PhD in computer science at the University of Wisconsin, and SM and SB degrees in electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He served in the U.S. Air Force and for 8 years was at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. For five years Dr. White was a principal engineering manager at Signatron, Inc. In his 28 years at The MITRE Corporation, he held a variety of senior professional staff and project/resource management positions. He was Director of MITRE's Systems Engineering Process Office from 2003 to 2009. Dr. White retired from MITRE in July 2010 and has since offered a consulting service, CAU- SES ("Complexity Are Us"--Systems Engineering Strategies). He has taught technical courses as an Adjunct Professor at several U.S. universities, and he is currently tutoring in basic mathematics, calculus, electrical engineering, and complex systems. He has edited and authored several books and book chapters, mostly in his Complex and Enterprise Systems Engineering Series with Taylor & Francis and CRC Press. He has presented a dozen tutorials in complex systems and published over a hundred conference papers and journal articles in complex systems, systems engineering, digital communications, etc., over his 55+-year career.

Brian E. White在威斯康辛大學獲得了計算機科學的碩士和博士學位，並在麻省理工學院獲得了電氣工程的SM和SB學位。他曾在美國空軍服役，並在麻省理工學院林肯實驗室工作了8年。在Signatron, Inc.擔任首席工程經理長達五年。在MITRE Corporation的28年裡，他擔任過多個高級專業人員和項目/資源管理職位。他在2003年至2009年期間擔任MITRE的系統工程流程辦公室主任。White博士於2010年7月從MITRE退休，此後提供了一項咨詢服務，名為CAU-SES（'Complexity Are Us'--Systems Engineering Strategies）。他曾在幾所美國大學擔任兼職教授，教授技術課程，目前正在教授基礎數學、微積分、電氣工程和複雜系統。他編輯和撰寫了幾本書和書籍章節，大部分是與泰勒和弗朗西斯以及CRC Press合作的《複雜和企業系統工程系列》。在他超過55年的職業生涯中，他發表了十幾篇關於複雜系統、系統工程、數字通信等方面的教程和一百多篇會議論文和期刊文章。